The Buckland Gate was guarded at all times. Those who were familiar to the guards could pass into Buckland without hindrance, but strangers might be refused entrance, especially during the night. Thus the Hobbits of Buckland enjoyed some protection against trouble-makers, though there were other ways into and out of Buckland. On the west, the Bucklebury Ferry ran across the Brandywine some twenty miles southward of the Gate. On the east, we know of at least one gated tunnel, near Crickhollow, that ran under the Hedge and provided a way into the Old Forest.

After the War and the reclamation of the Shire, these alarming developments were reversed. At that time, the Buckland Gate had stood for at least a hundred years and quite possibly longer, and it seems likely that it remained in place for at least some time after the War of the Ring.

Notes

1

We don't know exactly when the great Hedge of Buckland was established, and so we can't be sure when its northern gate was made, but III 2340 is the earliest possible date. This was the year of the founding of Buckland, so before this time, there were no Hobbits living east of the river Brandywine, or at least not in organised settlements. We have reason to believe that it took some time before the Bucklanders created their Hedge and Gate, but all we can say for sure is that these defences had stood for generations at the time of the War of the Ring.